7 Reduced

1 month has passed since Chang Xiuying left the village.

Irene approached Jiang Hao with a basket in her hand as she stood beside him. She looked over to Jiang Hao but he didn't seem to notice her as he remained still while watching the forest to await Chang Xiuying's return.

"Dear husband, I made you some snack," Irene spoke to get the attention of her husband while pouting.

"Oh. Thank you." Jiang Hao reached his hand to get the basket from Irene. However, Irene held Jiang Hao's hand and pulled him closer to her. Indeed, her feelings for Jiang Hao has increased and she wanted to show it to him. Yet she seemed to be embarrassed at the thought like a young maiden in love when it comes to skinship.

Jiang Hao stared directly with his gleaming emerald eyes into Irene's charming cognac eyes. Irene's chest tightened as she senses the melancholy deep inside his eyes. She fell into a trance watching how did life unfold in his eyes.

"Thank you for the snack. On the contrary, you don't have to trouble yourself with me." Jiang Hao said but his heart spoke the opposite. He wanted Irene to trouble him but he can't eliminate the possibility of the person who has occupied her heart for a long time.

In the first day of their encounter, Irene gave an icy cold aura that seemed to hate the world. Every man that she sees, she instantly has this scornful look. She didn't speak to fellow women either. Staying alone inside the forest made it her home.

One day, Irene got into a predicament and injured herself with her own Life Energy, putting her life in a perilous situation. Jiang Hao happened to be passing by in the forest to hunt for beasts for the villagers to eat. He heard a loud groan and rushed to see what's happening, that's when it all started. Helping Irene to recover, a goddess-like beauty has been in front of him but he didn't make a move, staying by her side in spite of Irene's displeasure, and having a sense of camaraderie.

The villagers saw this and prepared a wedding for Jiang Hao and Irene. They were both overwhelmed to not think of the matter and just agreed. Irene does have a little admiration for Jiang Hao and Jiang Hao have this complicated feelings. In the latter situations, Jiang Hao's feelings developed into love. Seeing Irene cook for him, taking care of him, but they don't have skinship like holding hands, embracing each other, cuddling and etc. They don't do all of that.

When night arrives, he can hear a weak sobbing in Irene's room. Making him feel that their marriage is just a mistake and only a setup. In the next morning, Irene's eyes were puffy. However, she still served Jiang Hao with a smile. Clearly, this pained him. Crying at night and smiling by day, he decided to separate their houses. Concluding that Irene regretted this decision and don't want to live with him under one roof.

At present, Irene's actions confused him. She waits for him every night, her sudden irritation whenever he came home late from work, when he still hasn't eaten because of a mountain of workload- she would be angry and serve him the most nutritious food, she would constantly visit his house and hang out, and she would even make cute snacks for him.

Irene's face showed disappointment and later sadness. Jiang Hao jolted and quickly explained, "It-it's not like that, you see, you have so many to work for. Now that you have a lot of free time, you should spend it for yourself. I don't want to waste or take your precious time from you."

"It's not like it was being wasted," Irene whispered to herself.

"Eh? So you have a lot of free time and got bored!"

"Dense husband!" Irene snatched the basket and huffed away from him. But she came back to give a lunch box to him before storming away.

Jiang Hao stared at the lunch box in his hands. "Really, what happened?"

...

At the abyss, a bright light that is as blinding as the sun and is 350-meter radius wide with a figure, that sat cross-legged in the middle. A boulder stood behind it and the numbers were rising and rising until it hit the 6,000 mark but it didn't give a sign of stopping.

Suddenly, an outburst of power caused a shaking sensation in the abyss.

Ding!

It has hit the 7,000 mark and it does not look like it's stopping! The bright light retreated and entered the figure in the middle. Chang Xiuying exhaled lightly as she opened her jet black eyes.

[Congratulations! Host have reached the initial stage of the Gold-level. Since you are considered as the biggest threat inside the peaceful Central Marsh, I will have to put a restriction and need to reduce your power into the average realm. As to why I need you to breakthrough to the Gold-level, you don't have to trouble yourself for when you will leave Central Marsh to roam around the outside world.]

[Even now, you can leave the Central Marsh. However, I know that you still have some business to do here. You don't have to worry about your powerful pursuers, there are two people who are assigned here to protect you and follow you wherever you are. I won't reveal their identities, but you will know eventually.]

Chang Xiuying's mouth twitched. The thought of being reduced into the average realm seemed to hit her hard. She was silent for a few moments before agreeing. Xue gave her one crystal necklace and three jade bracelets, all for the purpose of sealing her Life Energy. It is also constructed to absorb the excess power set by the sealer which is Xue.

After giving her the accessories, Xue started to reduce her into Iron-level. The process took longer than expected. Since her physical power and mental power were monstrous, Xue had to expend a lot of effort to finally suppress her strength.

[Host, try to punch the boulder.] Xue instructed her.

Bang! Ding!

The numbers above the boulder exactly showed 20. Chang Xiuying bit her lower lip and tried to comfort herself. It was her peak strength even on Earth so it doesn't bother her... anymore.

[You have to take care of the things that I purchased for you. Those three pieces of jewelry were made of the finest materials from the system shop and are expensive. I have taken 14 of the beast carcasses for a collateral, I even left you one for your meal.]

Chang Xiuying sighed helplessly. She didn't have much of a choice since Xue has already taken care of her and is the one who has the most knowledge than her. She has to quietly surrender and just let it be.

"I need to leave now as I didn't have anything to do, right? I already completed your missions and have reaped great rewards."

[Indeed, you can leave now.]

Chang Xiuying started to imagine and focused on the sceneries on the place she has left earlier on. Her figure slowly became transparent and her consciousness left the system. Back in the real world, she laid back and straightened her short and cute legs.

"Ooh, legs are numb... so numb." She murmured. Her real body has been sitting cross-legged for over a month now, so how can it not be numb? Once she already felt her legs, she stood up and patted all of the dirt in her clothes. She looked around her surrounding, she sensed some auras that both belonged to humans and beasts.

It seemed like there are some battles that happened, she even sensed two humans. However, the traces were not from an intense battle but the aftermath of the cruel death of the beasts that came to attack Chang Xiuying.

"Are these two were the people who have been sent to protect me?" She thought to herself before departing. She had to finish some business and other miscellaneous things to deal with.

...

Two shadows stood 400 meters away from Chang Xiuying's location.

"I clearly sensed the Young Lady's aura that surpassed the Diamond-level. How come she became an average Iron-level?" A sweet voice of a young lady that can draw all of the attention of the people to her. The allure of the curves of her body gave a high stimulus that makes men crazy. Her exquisite manner and action were top notch as if she has been raised by an Empress.

Her tall stature reached 1.69 meters. Her hyacinth colored eyes that will make you breathless with just one glance. Her long Fireopal hair that glided and fluttered with the wind.

"Can you see the three pieces of jewelry the Young Lady have been wearing? It isn't on her earlier, that must be the reason why I say." The husky voice of a man that can reverberate inside the hearts of the women, rang lazily and expectantly as he answered indifferently to the beauty beside him. His perfectly proportional body that gave of an aura of a formidable man that can conquer the world with just a flick of his fingers. His hands behind his back, calmly observing Chang Xiuying.

His height surpassed all of the people inside the Central Marsh as he is 2.13 meters tall. Even Jiang Hao, the tallest of them all, is more than a head shorter than him. Indeed, how come a man with a stature like a giant seemed to go unnoticed?

His aquamarine eyes that are as deep as the ocean that the depth seem unfathomable. His neck-length silvery hair gave off a desolate vibe as it fluttered with the wind.

"Seriously! Who dared to reduce the daughter of an Emperor into a merely average one?! Impudent!" The woman with the Fireopal hair puffed with anger.

"I say, cease your anger. Even I am annoyed by the fact that my Queen's youngest have been reduced to an average mortal. However, we came in to protect the Young Lady from any dangers that came to her because of her identity. It won't be a long time when she will be discovered by your Emperor's pursuers." The man with the silver hair replied rather calmly.

"Tsk! If the Emperor permits me to take action, I will have to put that person into smithereens! To really dare reduce the Young Lady!" The woman said and grinned murderously.

"How hot-blooded, your hair explains all of your personality into one color, I say."

"Hmph! A cool-headed guy is what irks me the most! I really don't want to work with you!"

"You got no choice and I have no choice either. I say we shall have a temporary truce and monitor our Young Lady. I believe that she will leave Central Marsh as she doesn't have any contenders here and it is unbelievably too peaceful. I kind of missed our blooded battle every time."

"Hmph. Here we go again... with this spot on calculations of yours. So when will Young Lady leave?"

The man smirked coldly. "After Young Lady retrieved the most prized possession that is hidden within one of the Garden Pagodas, I concur."

"Fine." The woman impatiently answered.

The man looked at her in the corner of his eyes and said in the matter of fact, "You know, if you just calm your hot head down, you will be able to possess powerful observation abilities. I presume that you are not a fool, yes?"

"Screw off!"